Disk type lawn mower



Oct. 26, 1964 Q w, BRUNTS ET AL 2,692,466

DISK TYPE LAWN MowER Filed Oct. 26, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ja Y f2 56 47) 'L 78 "`7 f 3f 27 8f $4/ 97 95 44 o 90 88 s@ 9241 l s o 32 0 r J5 Z9 /75 94) 48] n 55.

J6 20 INVENTORS Patented Oct. 26, 1954 DISK TYPE LAWN MOWER George W. Brunts, Nevada, and Frank L. Shutters, Milo, Mo.; said Shutters assignor to said Brunts Application October 26, 1951, Serial No. 253,402

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an improved rotary disk mower.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved rotary disk lawn mower having supporting wheels, manually operated means for raising and lowering the cutting blade while the mower is in operation; which has guards disposed in front of and to the rear of the cutting disk to protect the disk from being damaged by encountering solid obstacles and to protect the feet and legs of the operator against objects thrown rearwardly by the disk; which has rollers or wheels disposed both in front of and in rear of the cutting disk to prevent the disk from cutting into the ground at any time; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, and effective and eiiicient in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claim in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a lawn mower illustrative of the invention; v

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the lawn mower illustrated in Figure 1, a portion being broken away to better illustrate the construction thereof;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

With continued reference to the drawings, the lawn mower comprises a platform Ill in the form of a fiat plate of longitudinally elongated, substantially rectangular shape, having an arcuately curved front end edge II which extends at its ends somewhat beyond the corresponding side edges of the remainder of the platform to provide transverse shoulders I2 and I3, one at each side of the platform at the ends of the curved front edge of the latter. A guard plate I4 of partly cylindrical shape is disposed coextensively with the curved front end edge II of the platform IQ and depends from the front end of the platform substantially perpendicular thereto.

The platform Il is provided with an aperture substantially at the center of curvature of the arcuately curved front end edge II thereof and upper and lower vertical bearing bosses I5 and I6, respectively, are mounted on the platform with their bores in alignment with each other and in registry with the aperture in the platform. The boss I5 projects upwardly from the upper surface of the platform and the boss I6 depends from the lower surface of the platform, and a shaft II extends through the bosses I5 and IB and platform I0 and has one end abovevand one end below the platform. A cutter disk 20 is centrally mounted on the shaft Il at the lower end of the lower bearing boss I6 by suitable means including a nut 2l threaded onto the shaft II at the lower end of the latter. A belt pulley 23 is mounted on the shaft I'I near the upper end of the latter. A curved guard 25 is secured at its lower end to the platform and projects upwardly from the platform substantially perpendicular to the latter and in front of the bearing boss I5 and belt pulley 23.

A motor 2l, such as a one-cylinder gasoline engine of a small horsepower type now readily available on the market, is mounted on the platform it rearwardly of the bearing boss I5 and extends upwardly from the platform. This motor has a drive shaft 28, the axis of which is disposed at an angle to the side edges of the platform, and a belt pulley 29 is mounted on one end of the shaft Z and connected to the belt pulley 23 by a belt 30, the ends of which are disposed at substantially right angles to each other.

The engine 2l is mounted on the platform by means including guideways 3| and 32, so that the engine can be adjustably moved toward and away from the bearing boss I5 to adjust the tension of the belt 30, the engine being clamped in position longitudinally of the guideways by suitable means, such as the hold-down bolts 33 extending through apertures in the base flange 34 of the engine.

Small caster wheels or rollers 36 and 31 are mounted on the front guard I4 of the mower one at each end of the guard, and extend below the guard and below the cutting disk 2li to prevent the blade from digging into the ground at the front end of the mower.

A bracket 4B is mounted on the platform substantially at the mid-width location of the rear edge of the platform, and an arm 4I is pivotally connected at its front end to the bracket 4B and extends rearwardly from the platform for upand-down movement of its distal end relative to the platform. A caster wheel sleeve 42 is mounted on the arm 4I at the rear, distal end of the arm, and a fork 43 is journaled at its upper end in the sleeve 42 and declines rearwardly relative to the axis of rotational movement between the fork and the sleeve. A wheel 44 is journaled on the fork 43 at the end of the fork remote from the sleeve 42, and a tension spring 45 is connected at one end of the sleeve 42 and at its other end to the bracket 40, and is disposed below the arm 4I to resiliently urge the distal end of the arm 4I downwardly and the rear end of the platform IIJ upwardly. This rear caster wheel assembly effectively supports the rear end of the platform 3 and prevents the cutter blade 2U from digging rearwardly into the ground.

Chains 46 depend from the rear edge of the platform at spaced apart locations along the rear edge and serve as a guard to prevent objects thrown rearwardly by the cutter disk 20 from injuring the feet-or legs fof a person operating the mower.

Handles 47 and 48 are attached at their front ends to the platform l0, one at each opposite side of the engine 2l, and these handles .are inclined upwardly and rearwardly relative to the platform with their center lines 'substantially in vertical planes parallel to the side .edges of `.the platform. Near their upper .ends the handles 4l and 48 are connected by a crossbar 49, and the handles are curved downwardly at their rear ends and provide hand grips 5B and 5i.

A frame, generally indicated .at 55, .extends transversely -of .the platform intermediate the length of the latter and includes -a .top bar 56 extending across the ,platform abone 4the .engine .and wheel forks =5l and 5 8 :depending from the top bar 56, one at-eachend lof the latter. The wheel fork 521 rcomprises spaced .apart .and .substantially parallel .bars El) and El with Ythe bar 50 depending from the .corresponding .end of the top bar 56 Aand the bar Y5i spaced inwardly .of the top bar from the bar zut, and the wheel fork 58 comprises ,corresponding bars L52 and `63 with the bar 52 V.depending yfrom the corresponding end of the top ,-bafr.

Wheels 55 .and 66 are disposed in the wheel forks 5.1 :and 58, respectively, and journaled in these forks -by axles secured at their ends to the wheel fork bars at the lower Iends of the latter and extending through these Awheel hubs.

Fixed standards .6l and 618 project perpendicularly upwardly from Athe platform Mi, .oneadj acent the inner side of the wheel-fork ybar .Si and the other ladjacent the inner .side of the wheel lfork bar 63. These Standards are vertically slotted, as indicated at 6 9 for `the standard 51 ,in Figure 4, and bolts, Aas indicated at 1.0, carried by the fork bars i and ,extend f through the slots in the standards .El r.and `58, respectively, to provide guide `and motion limit stop means between the wheel 4forks ,and the standards.

A rack bar 'Il is secured at its lower -end to the upper end of the standard -61 and extends substantially vertically iupward from :the standard 6l, while ya similar r-ack .bar 1,2 -is secured .at its lower end to the upper end of .the standard 5.8 and extends substantially vertically upward from this standard, both of the rack .bars having forwardly facing rack teeth J3.

Bearing brackets '1.4 rand 'l5 are mounted on the top Vbar 55 of the frame, one :near veach ,of the wheel .forks 5'! and 58, .and these brackets extend upwardly from the atop bar 55. A shaft 'i5 is journaled at its -ends .in Vthe Ibrackets 14 and Vi5 and is disposed above and substantially parallel -to the frame top .bar e515.

yPinions 18 and .79 .are mounted on .the shaft '1.6 adjacent the 4bearing brackets '1.4 and .15, respectively, .and ,mesh respectively with the rack bars 'ii land l2. A worm .wheel 8B is ,mounted on the shaft li6 `substantially at ,the amid-length location vof the ,shaft and between bearing brackets .Bl Vand 82 which extend upwardly from the frameba-rtt and receive-the shaft 16. Abearing block or `bracket ,184 Iextends upwardly from the yShaft between the brackets 8l and 82 .and has its .bore disposed substantially at .right .angles to theshaft 16 .and an arrvn extendsrearwardly ilD from the bar 56 and carries at its rear end a bearing block or bracket 8l, the bore of which is in alignment with the bore of the bearing block 84. A shaft 88 extends through and is journaled fin the bearing blocks 84 and 8l, and a worm 90 is secured on the front end of the shaft 88 and meshes ywith the worm wheel 80. Thrust collars .El .are `mounted on 1.the .shaft 1138, yone -at each side of the bearing block t4 to hold the shaft 88 against longitudinal movement, and a hand crank d2 is mounted on the rear end of this shaft.

Braces 93 and 94 are connected at their front ends :to the inner bars E! and 63 of the wheel forksandextendrearwardly therefrom. At their rear .ends these braces are adjustably connected tothe 'handles 41 and 48 intermediate the length of the handles, and diagonal braces 95 and 95 extend rearwardly from the ends of the elongatedbracket lll to ,the caster .wheelsleeve v42 4to reinforce the arm 4l.

With .this arrangement, ,the ,platform l0, togather with .the .engine 2,1 .and `c utter .blade 2U, can .be raised .or lowered lby rotating the hand crank .92 in .the ,appropriate direction .to raise and lower the platform relative to the wheelsupported frame .55, .and ,this .raising and lowering of ,the platform and cutter blade can `be accomplished when the mower is ,in operation. Engagement .of .the bolts '15 with the lower ends of the slots in the .standards Si and S8 limits downwardmovement of lthe platform and cutter bladeso that 4the .cutter blade cannot be lowered into contact with the ground.

Theinvention maybe embodiedin other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics ,thereor The present embodiment is, therefore, to lbe considered in all respectsasillustrative .andnotrestrictive the scope of 'the invention Ybeing indicated .by the .appended claim rather than by the ,foregoing description, and all changes which come within .the meaning and range of eguivalencyof the claim are, therefore, intended to vbe .embraced therein.

'What is claimed is:

"In a mower, a horizontal platform, spaced standards rising from .opposite sides of the .platform, wheel forks having inner and outer vertical members, wheelspositioned between and journaled on the inner and outer vertical members of .theforks vertically .elongated pinand slot means coacting 4between said .inner .fork members andserving to limit .upward .and-downward movement .of .said forks vrelative yto the platform, -ver ticalracks fixed ,to vsaid standards, a cross `member extending between .and fixed .to upperv parts of said forks, .gear means mounted on said cross member .and operatively engaging said racks for raising and lowering the forks relative to the platform for itarying the-spacing of said platform relative to the ground, :and a rotary Acutter mounted `on ,and positioned .beneath said platform.

References .Cited `in .the vfile `of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Perris Sept. 25., 1951 

